Training Differences?

J

jonnyB

Well-known member
Question: Are female dogs easier to train or males? I've only had (5) males and may opt for female next time around. Please feel free to comment about your experiences.
 
Have had both and trained both loved both
its the breeding. And the dog that makes the difference not the sex
but I’ve found with some exceptions the females are usually easier to live with . When it comes to marking fighting running ect
OK JMO
 
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david0311 said:
Have had both and trained both loved both
its the breeding. And the dog that makes the difference not the sex
but I’ve found with some exceptions the females are usually easier to live with . When it comes to marking fighting running ect
OK JMO
Click to expand...
I agree 100% it’s the dog!
 
david0311 said:
Have had both and trained both loved both
its the breeding. And the dog that makes the difference not the sex
but I’ve found with some exceptions the females are usually easier to live with . When it comes to marking fighting running ect
OK JMO
Click to expand...
(y) I've also had both and agree with David. However, if you are going to have the dog in the house as a family member I think females are better. My last three Brittanys have been females.
 
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I have never owned a male dog and I never will. Every time I was around a male dog whether it was a hunting dog or not, there was an aggressive attitude and a dominance factor when other dogs were present. Especially when the dog wasn't neutered and other male dogs were present. My current dog is almost exclusively around other female dogs too, so it just makes things a whole lot easier.

I'm not saying that every male dog is aggressive or dominant or mean because that is absolutely not the case. Its just solely based on my personal experience.

Females usually cost more and are in higher demand from a litter too.
 
Training and ability in the field will not be substantially noticeable from one sex to another. It just comes down to preference. I grew up with females and will probably always own females.

Besides, canine Johnsons weird me out. Bitches all the way. ;)
 
I asked one of my good trainer friends that awhile ago, and his answer was along the lines of, "for the most part there is no difference. If you're forcing me to answer one or the other, I've maybe very SLIGHTLY noticed that female dogs are easier to train early on and better in the field in the first few years, the males are maybe a bit more stubborn early on and maybe overtake the females around year 3 or 4 in the field. But again, there's really no difference and no reason to choose one over the other."
 
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Dogs are individuals like humans. There are very talented and very poor examples in both sexes. Quite often the defining characteristic of an exemplary dog is who is doing the training and what opportunities have been given to the dog to succeed.
 
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That is a logical statement, Lab. I've had several dogs, all males, none neutered. I figure, how would YOU like to be neutered? We hunt near a lot of swampy places, bust cattails, hunt ducks near muck ditches and generally just seem to wind up in some very inhospitable places through the season. I'll take the male's drive and aggression any day.
 
You touched on a point I omitted in my first comment. That is, when viewing equally talented animals of each sex, the male will usually be more impressive to watch work because of their size, demeanor, and musculature.
 
Training wise I don't think there's a big difference. I think females can fill the role of "submissive" when it comes to the pack structure (you are a pack after all). So it's easier to be seen as the leader of the pack when working with a female. Whereas males can try and test your dominance. But like others have said, the dog itself makes a big difference.

My 10 year old female has a dominance thing with other dogs (even males). She likes to be the boss when other dogs are around but never has tested me as the leader of our pack. Whereas my younger dog is definitely submissive towards all other dogs. Female or male.
 
I have owned and trained 6 Brittanys over the past 40 years or so. It is the dog and the breeding. My first dog was a male and purchased "locally" from a US Congressman. I was young and he was strong. I suppose that was not a good match. Only dog sent off to a professional trainer (expensive and well known ... and blah). Interesting that he offered me $1,500 for my dog in 1982. His coloration and closeness to the standard were really strong.

The next five were all purchased from people in the business. All pointed naturally and hunt well. I flipped to females (next 4) they all were different dogs. Some alpha, some not. Youngest dog is a male ... already 5. I have trained them all myself, albeit at times I did belong to a local Brittany club.

Most of the time we have two dogs in the house ... there are years when we have three and a few ... long ago when we had one.

I see ZERO difference in the house behavior of my Brittanys (male or female). All transition 100% from bird dog to house dog ...
 
If you get a female ... do not spay too early. Spayed females can show urinary incontinence as they age (11 and over). Managable with a low cost pill ... but can be a hassle.
 
Agree with not spaying early. Let females have at least one heat cycle even if you have zero plans of having a litter with them. If not 2 or 3 cycles. There's alot of information out there so I won't get into everything about it, but studies have shown that letting the dog have a heat cycle allows them to fully mature (hip formation and biologically speaking).
 
I realize this may be off topic from the thread.

I spayed my british lab at 5 months because that is what my vet suggested.

I have not experienced any problems related to health issues related to it. It was a laser guided procedure which completely eliminates the risk for infection from sterility issues because there are no knives or surgical tools involved.

Even if I had an objection to what my vet suggests, I'm in no position to argue with someone like that. I'd look foolish and make an idiot out of myself.
 
The most extensive/reputable study on the subject that I have found. They looked at ~35 different breeds. The info at the beginning on the why and how is worth a read but below is the cut to the chase on Labs

Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for 35 Breeds of Dogs: Associated Joint Disorders, Cancers, and Urinary Incontinence​

www.frontiersin.org

Frontiers | Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for 35 Breeds of Dogs: Associated Joint Disorders, Cancers, and Urinary Incontinence

Neutering (including spaying) of male and female dogs in the first year after birth has become routine in the U.S. and much of Europe, but recent research re...
www.frontiersin.org www.frontiersin.org

“Labrador Retriever​

The study population was 714 intact males, 381 neutered males, 400 intact females, and 438 spayed females for a total of 1,933 cases. One or more joint disorders were reported in 6 percent of both intact males and intact females. This measure was significantly increased to 13 percent for males neutered before 6 mo. (p <0.01). In females spayed at <6 mo. and 6–11 mo., the risk of a joint disorder was 11–12 percent for each period (p <0.01, spay periods combined). The occurrence of cancers followed was 8 percent and 6 percent, respectively, for intact males and females. Neutering at the various ages was not associated with any evident increased risk in the cancers. The occurrence of MC in intact females was 1 percent and for those spayed at 2–8 years, 2 percent. For females left intact, 2 percent were reported with PYO. UI was reported at a low rate (2–3%) in females spayed at various ages though 1 year. Given the significant occurrence of joint disorders in males neutered at <6 mo., the suggested guideline for males is neutering beyond 6 months. For females, given the increased risks of joint disorders with spaying through 11 months of age, the suggested guideline is delaying spaying until beyond a year of age.
 
I am partial to females because I have a few of them for breeding purposes. Breeding is way more important than sex of a dog. I will tell you that once every six months when a female goes into her heat cycle it can stall your training because of hormones etc. That is why hard core field trialers and some trainers will prefer a male because they don't have to stop training or pull a dog out of a test because they are in heat.
 
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